RAWALPINDI – Patients of garrison city are mourning over their fate as doctors have decided to extend the strike further to the press the provincial government for improved service structure.
The doctors have been on strike in OPDs for the last eight days in state-run hospitals across the province, including Rawalpindi. It has multiplied miseries of poor patients who could not afford treatment at private clinics.  The OPDs in three teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi — Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Civil Headquarters hospital — were closed on the eight days of the strike.
Shoaib Omer, a citizen, said that he has come to Benazir hospital with his sick daughter but due to the strike had to return unattended. “The tug of war between provincial government and doctors is causing immense problems to citizens as most of the patients have to return their home unattended,” he added.  Mohammad Salman, a patient at Holy Family Hospital, opposed the strike and said that he came to the hospital to get medical treatment for some infection in hot weather as he could not afford to go to the private hospital.
On the other hand, YDA Punjab Chairman Mohammad Haroon said the association had called a convention at Rawalpindi Medical College to chalk out future plan after the refusal of the government to meet their demands. A large number of patients of the garrison city have expressed outrage over doctors’ strike and demanded provincial government to take steps to ensure healthcare facilities at all state-run hospitals.